But this whirlwind of events hasn’t even dawned on them yet. LE SSERAFIM continued to promote in Korean music shows as eagerly as ever, winning four trophies and breaking records for highest first-day album sales for a girl group, and highest first-week sales of any girl group debut album, according to Korea’s Hanteo Chart history.

True to their aspirations, they adapted to the changes. “Our album was made by holding interviews with the members and expressing our true selves, our bold selves, our confident selves,” says the chic leader Chaewon, 21. LE SSERAFIM is an anagram for “I’m fearless,” their conceptual centerpiece, and FEARLESS names both their smooth debut EP and title track, which were released on May 2. But if there was any group primed to face this weather without breaking, it had to be them.

The remaining active members - Sakura, Chaewon, Kazuha, Eunchae and Yunjin - had to brave the storm. However, as soon as the teasers began to roll out, member Garam saw herself embroiled in bullying allegations - which ultimately led to her hiatus from the group. Less than a month before this Zoom call with Hypebae, she and her five bandmates were making their long-awaited debut as LE SSERAFIM, the first girl group under HYBE, South Korea’s entertainment behemoth that is home to groups like BTS and SEVENTEEN.

To her, being fearless means “to accept the parts of us that are scared, and show everything as honestly as we can.” It’s a theme that hits close to home lately.

“It’s impossible to actually be scared of nothing,” says Yunjin, 20, a Korean-American trained opera singer and fiery performer.

Brave williams fearless ep